


first

by stardustgirl



Series: AU of an AU [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: (and he finally gets one!!), AU of an AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Ezra Bridger Needs a Hug, I might make a oneshot that follows this directly but, Imperial AU, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Manipulation, Implied/Referenced Murder/Execution, Kallus as a Father Figure, Who Knows?, Young Ezra Bridger, and then they’re like “sure here you go”, idk what level of angst though for once, its pretty much like “I can take care of a kid”, the imperial foster care system is trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:36:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustgirl/pseuds/stardustgirl
Summary: He returned the child’s hug, surprised by the intensity of it. Finally he eased himself out of Ezra’s grasp.“You be brave, and I’ll find your parents. Is that a deal?”|~~~|Only a month after his parents’ disappearance, Ezra is sent to his first foster—who happens to be offworld.{An AU of the Collapse(s) Imperial AU}





	first

He stared up at the woman, blinking shrewdly.  
“I hate you,” he stated simply.  
He missed the blow to his head and it sent him reeling back. He tripped, scraping his hand as he landed. He shot a glare at the man next to him as his nostrils flared.  
“You would do well to keep your opinions to _yourself,_ boy. Miss Hallele is being very kind to even _consider_ taking you in after what she’s heard about you,” the man hissed into his ear as he pulled him to his feet. His glare at the caretaker darkened, but the man’s gaze simply shifted back to the woman.  
“I apologize for his behavior, ma’am. As you can see, he’s still a bit childish and will need special...care to get over that.” Ezra opened his mouth to protest but a sharp glance from the caretaker silenced him. He swallowed, glaring at the floor instead.  
“I…see,” the woman said slowly, blinking in surprise.  
“I have the paperwork over here, if you’ll just fill it out.” The caretaker led her over to a desk nearby.  
Ezra took his chance.  
He bolted.  
“Ezra—!” The caretaker let out a shout of frustration.  
The child skidded around a corner before taking off again. If he could just get outside—  
He stumbled into someone and fell, landing hard as he blinked up at the man ahead of him. Kallus’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Ezra.”  
He nodded, then glanced behind him nervously. As the caretaker rounded the corner behind him, he raced behind Kallus and frantically grabbed at the startled man’s hand, peeking out from behind his legs.  
Kallus began gently. “Ezra, why don’t you go with—“  
“I don’t wanna! He’s trying to send me off Lothal! I don’t wanna leave!”  
Kallus sighed, stepping to the side and picking the distraught child up. Ezra squirmed, trying to get down, but the agent held fast and merely readjusted his grip.  
“Ferell, are you sure it’s wise to send the boy to an offworld home so soon? It’s only been a month.”  
The caretaker snorted. “He’ll be going to one at some point anyway. Better to get him used to it sooner rather than later. Imagine trying to do this once he’s older.”  
Kallus sighed quietly and nodded. “Does the foster have a shuttle ready? I can just take him straight to that.”  
Ezra’s eyes widened. “Don’t! Mister Kallus, please don’t make me go with her! I don’t wanna leave Lothal!” The man ignored him as the caretaker led them to the woman’s shuttle—what had her name been again? Ezra honestly wasn’t sure.  
He continued to try to wriggle out of Kallus’s grip, sniffing back tears as he continued to scream. Finally, when they were within sight of the shuttle and Ezra’s screams were only getting louder, Kallus sighed again and stopped.  
“Listen to me, Ezra. It’s just for a little while. A few years, unless we find your parents sooner. Okay? I promise. But the more you scream and fight, the less likely Mister Ferell over there is to let you come back to Lothal at all. Okay?”  
He sniffed, wiping at his nose as he nodded solemnly, having fallen silent. “O- okay.”  
Kallus began walking again, something in his heart stirring as he heard the boy’s sniffles and suppressed whimpers. He shifted Ezra again as he entered the shuttle, settling him onto one of the seats before crouching to face him.  
“Ezra, you need to be brave for me, okay? If you want to come back to Lothal, you need to be brave. Just imagine how proud your parents would be.” He realized his mistake as Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly.  
“How proud they w- _will_ be. You’re gonna find them. Right?”  
Kallus hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes, of course. I’ll try my hardest to find them; I promised, remember?” For some reason, he hated lying to the child, but revealing the truth would just further break the boy’s fragile trust in him, in the Empire. If they were to repair the damage done by his parents, they needed that trust as a foundation.  
Ezra nodded again before reaching out. He was uncertain what the boy wanted for a minute.  
_Oh._  
He returned the child’s hug, surprised by the intensity of it. Finally he eased himself out of Ezra’s grasp.  
“You be brave, and I’ll find your parents. Is that a deal?” He nodded, sniffing, and Kallus allowed a small, genuine smile to slip onto his face. “Alright. I’ll see you later.” He straightened, leaving the shuttle quickly before the boy could persuade him to stay further. He passed the woman entering the shuttle, barely sparing her a passing glance though something reminded him he should— _after all, she’s the one Ezra will be with for the next few years—_ as he hurried off of the landing platform.  
He was back inside before the shuttle lifted off.


End file.
